Sweet: John Terry and his team-mates celebrate their victory

'We worked on 4-3-3 during the week. We pressed them hard and we made it difficult for them to play out.'

The captaincy row shows no sign of going away after Terry suggested Dawson had done enough to keep Ferdinand out of the team for England's next qualifier against Switzerland at Wembley in June. While the injured Manchester United centre-back was tweeting his support for his team-mates, Dawson was producing an outstanding effort alongside Terry.

The Chelsea defender said: 'He has gained a lot of valuable experience in the Champions League.

'Big competitions breed big players and he has certainly done well in the last couple of games.'

Terry's glowing view of his new defensive partner will not have been lost on Ferdinand, who is sidelined with a calf injury and has made just one England appearance this season.

Dawson said: 'All I can do is play well when I get the chance and prove to the manager that I am worth it. 'There is a lot of competition but I hope to be given my chance.'

Capello plans peace talks with Ferdinand this week, saying: 'I will speak to him about what really happened and explain my decision.'

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